Wednesday, January 5, 2011

the tears of a clown

The new U.S. Congress starts today. The Republicans are in the majority in the House now, and it looks like there may be a circus atmosphere as they go through the motions of trying to un-do the accomplishments of the Obama Administration, all for short-term political points and not for solutions to long-term problems. The Tea Party faction of their party will be doing their own sideshows of distraction and disruption. It will be an awful session but perhaps kind of entertaining as the media focuses on the clowns.

Leading the circus for the Republicans is the new Speaker of the House, John Boehner -- the guy who cries at the drop of a hat, during speeches, during interviews, usually when talking about himself. There has been a lot of discussion lately about what the reactions would have been if it had been Nancy Pelosi or some other woman politician with so little control of their emotions. Would they have been laughed out of Washington? Probably. But somehow this Boehner dude has reached this pinnacle of political success, and in his new position he has indicated that he does not intend to cooperate with Obama and the Democrats, so here we go with more gridlock.

Not sure whether to watch the spectacle in Congress out of some morbid curiosity, or, out of helplessness, look the other way and take a leave of absense from politics (Like my son Jon is doing). I feel bad for the elected officials who would like to really accomplish something positive. I don't think it's gonna happen.

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